


Reid’s Secret

by alienspronkles



Series: Reid’s Secret [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Supernatural, Supernatural/Criminal Minds
Genre: Anxiety, Brainwashing, Dean Winchester Hates Witches, Djinni & Genies, F/F, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Kidnapping, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Protective Dean Winchester, References to Depression, Witch Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:08:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 9,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29002713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienspronkles/pseuds/alienspronkles
Summary: Criminal Minds x Supernatural crossoverAfter Reid gets kidnapped by the Winchesters for months, he’s let go. After a year of being on leave and a year of psychological evaluations, he’s back to work. But something seems off about him. He listens to rock music now, he drinks beer, he wears flannel. And that’s just some of the things on the outside.Trigger WarningKidnappingPTSDAnxietyMentions of depressionBrainwashing
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss, Spencer Reid/Sam Winchester
Series: Reid’s Secret [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132202
Comments: 11
Kudos: 86





	1. Creepy sidewalks

Wednesday early morning - 2 am

"I'm telling you-" Reid said as he continued to ramble to Morgan on the phone. 

"Reid," Derek interrupted. 

"Yes?" Reid asked. 

"I love you, man, but you gotta stop rambling. It's been over half an hour," Derek said, rubbing his eyes. "Can't you ramble to someone else about mythology?"

"I don't have anyone else," Reid said sadly, Derek sighing. 

"Listen, genius, get off the phone so it doesn't die. Are you even at your apartment yet?" Derek asked. 

"No. I was rambling to distract myself from the creepy environment," Reid said, Derek laughing. "I'm serious! It's creepy here. There's a little bit of fog and there's no one around."

"It's probably because it's foggy and it's two in the morning," Derek sassed. 

"I figured that out," Reid said with a glare, Derek snickering. 

"Use that big brain of yours and think logically, man," Derek said. "You don't see anyone there so it's your mind playing tricks on you. And you have a gun."

"I can't shoot!" Reid said loudly, Derek laughing. "I barely passed my last firearms qualification exam."

"Alright. Just relax. Breathe. Listen to some classical piano music and do some card tricks with your hands," Derek said with a smile. "It'll help you just relax."

"Technically I am less likely to be kidnapped by a serial killer because I'm male," Reid said, Derek rubbing his eyes. "But I can't fight. So any serial killers would likely go after me and not a woman. Women actually have an advantage in fights because even though most men have more body mass, women can use the men's body mass and weight against them. And they're more aware of their surroundings than men are because women were raised to be like that." 

"Reid, stop rambling," Derek said, rubbing his eyes again. "I gotta go. Just relax. Music. Magic tricks." 

"Okay. Okay. I'll listen to music and fidget with the coin in my hand," Reid said. 

"Great. Stay safe. And you'll be fine," Derek said before hanging up. 

Reid sighed and pulled out headphones before listening to some piano music. He pulled the coin out of his pocket and fidgeted with it in his hand, occasionally making it disappear and reappear. 

Reid rubbed his eyes before bumping into someone walking down the sidewalk. 

"Sorry about that," Reid said as he pulled out his headphones and looked at the person. 

"It's fine," he said, Reid freezing. 

"Y-You're...You're Dean Winchester," Reid said anxiously before going to reach for his gun but Dean putting a knife to his throat. 

"You just had to recognize me," Dean said, scoffing and rolling his eyes. 

Dean reached into Reid's pocket and grabbed his badge, stopping when he realized Reid was an FBI agent. 

"Son of a bitch," Dean said to himself before grabbing Reid's gun and tossing it in the trash can next to them. 

"What do you want from me?" Reid asked anxiously.


	2. A sleeping moose

Wednesday early morning 

"What did you expect me to do?!" Dean yelled from the library, Sam waking up slowly. 

Sam rubbed his eyes and sat up on the bed. He ran his hand through his hair and checked the time, seeing it wasn't even three in the morning. 

"Dean, I swear to god," Sam said to himself before getting out of the bed and sliding on some shoes. "I went to bed an hour ago. I need sleep." 

Sam made his way to the hallway and then into the library, seeing Dean glaring at Cas and Cas reciprocating the glare. 

"I swear to god if you two woke me up because of some dumbass argument-" Sam started.

"Dean kidnapped an FBI agent," Castiel said with a glare. 

"What?" Sam asked, frozen. 

"He's in the dungeon right now," Dean said. 

"What happened?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm. 

"Dean went to D.C to go to a bar that just opened up and he bumped into an FBI agent," Castiel said to Sam before turning back to Dean. "And his genius idea was to kidnap him. This is the last time I teleport you without supervision since you tend to do stupid and idiotic things quite often."

Dean glared at Cas, who glared back. 

"You know what? It's too early for this," Sam said, rubbing his eyes. 

Sam ran his hand through his hair to fix it, Dean still glaring at Cas. 

"You said he's in the dungeon, right?" Sam asked. 

"Yeah," Dean said. 

"Cas can erase his memory. Problem solved," Sam said. 

"I can't," Castiel said. 

"Why not?" Sam asked. 

"I don't know. I've tried multiple times. It's almost like his brain is immune to being erased," Castiel said. 

"Great," Sam said, rubbing his eyes again. 

"Well we can't just let him go," Dean said. 

"What if we tell him about everything?" Castiel asked, Sam and Dean frozen. 

"Everything like..." Dean said awkwardly. 

"Monsters. Demons. Ghosts. Vampires. Werewolves," Castiel said. "Everything." 

"And if he doesn't believe us, then what?" Sam asked. 

"We'll keep him here until he believes us," Dean said. 

"Dean-" Sam started. 

"No, Sammy," Dean said. "I'm the one who messed up by kidnapping him. So I'm gonna be the one to fix it. We're keeping him here until he believes us and won't turn us in...even if it..."

"Even if it what?" Castiel asked. 

"Takes weeks," Dean said. "Or months. Or a year for all I care. He's gonna not turn us in or arrest us or anything. And he's gonna believe in monsters."

"You sure you wanna do this?" Sam asked. "All of us have to agree."

"You got my vote," Dean said before turning to Cas. 

"Alright," Castiel said, nodding.

Dean and Cas both turned to Sam, who rubbed his eyes. 

"Fine," Sam said. "You got my vote too."

"Where are you going?" Dean asked, seeing Sam walking away. 

"I'm going to get him out of the dungeon. We have a spare room. Sleeping in a dungeon is cruel," Sam said before leaving the library. 

Sam made his way through the hallways and stopped outside the dungeon. He froze before heading inside and staring at the metal shelves. 

"Here goes nothing," Sam said before opening it, light flooding into the room. 

Sam stared at Reid, who was frozen with fear as he walked over. 

"I'm gonna unlock you. Okay?" Sam said calmly as he reached for the chains and unlocked them. "Better?"

Reid remained frozen and still before Sam helped him up off the floor. 

"Come on," Sam said, almost dragging Reid out of the dungeon. 

Reid didn't struggle or resist, not wanting to risk making Sam angry. Reid watched as Sam closed the shelf, his mind automatically thinking at the fact that if the team did find him, they probably wouldn't find him in that room. His heart dropped at the thought of being the Winchester's prisoner. 

"Here you go," Sam said, opening another door and Reid hesitantly walking inside. 

Sam turned on the light, revealing a bedroom. Reid froze before the door got closed. He flinched when he heard the door lock. 

"I...I just want to go home," Reid said to himself before trying the other door and seeing it was a bathroom. 

Reid crawled onto the bed and curled into a ball, his eyes watering extremely. 

"I just want to go home," Reid said anxiously.


	3. Coffee addicts

Wednesday morning 

"Coffee. I love coffee," Emily said tiredly as she poured herself a cup, JJ snickering. 

"Tell me there's more of that," Derek said as he came over. 

"Half a pot, it's all yours," Emily said with a smile. 

"I'll take it," Derek said before pouring himself a cup. 

"Tired I'm guessing," Emily said. 

"Yeah," Derek said. 

"We got back so early like it's ridiculous," Emily said, rubbing her eyes. "I couldn't have my midnight ice cream because it wasn't midnight anymore. And I was too tired." 

"Reid was rambling for over half an hour at two in the morning," Derek said tiredly before chugging his coffee. "He was on the phone because he didn't want to walk home alone."

"Reid has a gun," Emily said with a laugh. 

"That doesn't mean he knows how to use it," Derek said, Emily smiling. "The kid can barely shoot."

"Where is Reid anyway?" JJ asked as she looked around. 

"No clue. He should be here by now," Derek said before seeing Garcia coming over. "Oh don't tell me that we have another case."

"I don't know," Garcia said. "Hotch said for me to meet him in the conference room. And that he would call everyone else once they got their coffee, which I see you all have."

"It's too early for this," Rossi said as he followed Garcia into the conference room. 

"Everyone, take a seat," Hotch said, standing in front of the table. 

"Where's Reid?" Rossi asked. 

"I will find him. Give me a moment," Garcia said before grabbing her tablet. 

"I wanted to let everyone know that you all did good last night. I understand working a case in this room all night long was...tiring...but everyone did good consulting while our jet was being repaired," Hotch said. 

"Can we get the day off then?" Emily asked tiredly. 

"No," Hotch said, hearing multiple silent groans. "But today we have no cases until JJ gives us one. So it's probably a paperwork day."

"Coffee machine here I come," Emily said as she got up. 

"Oh my god," Garcia said, getting everyone's attention. 

"What is it, Baby Girl?" Derek asked, seeing Garcia staring at her tablet. 

Garcia typed on her tablet before the video moved to the monitor. 

"I...I was tracking Reid and his phone was there so I pulled up security camera footage and this was from this morning," Garcia said anxiously, everyone seeing Reid in a headlock and now unconscious. 

"Garcia who is that?" JJ asked. 

"I'm running facial recognition now," Garcia said as she stared at her tablet. "Got it. Oh my god."

"What?" Hotch asked. 

"Dean Winchester. He died...years ago. Arrested for...that's a long list."

"Dean Winchester? As in the Winchesters? The spree killers?" Derek asked. 

"And Dean also tortured women in St. Louis. And a bank robbery in Milwaukee. And in Colorado his brother and him were arrested but died in an explosion of the police station. And then spree killings that ended in Iowa, where he died again," Garcia said anxiously. 

"Last time I checked, he does these things with his brother, Sam," Hotch said. 

"We need to go over their files," Rossi said.


	4. AC/DC with some waffles

Wednesday morning 

"Dean?" Sam said, trying to project his voice over the AC/DC that was currently being blasted while Dean made breakfast. "Dean?!"

"Sorry, can't hear you. The musics too loud," Dean said with a laugh before Sam grabbed his phone and shut off the music. "Hey. Don't be a little bitch about it. It's good music." 

"Little?" Sam asked, Dean glaring. 

"Why'd you shut off the music, man?" Dean asked as he continued making waffles. 

"Because we need to talk," Sam said sadly. 

Dean sighed and nodded before turning back to the waffles. 

"I couldn't sleep because my mind was just...going into overdrive. And...if he doesn't believe in the supernatural...and we keep forcing it on him..." Sam said, Dean noticing Sam trying to say something but it not coming out. 

"Sammy? Hey. Talk to me. What's going on? Just spit it out, man," Dean said with a concerned tone. "The suspense is killing me."

"We're gonna end up brainwashing him," Sam managed to say. 

"Come on," Dean said with an exaggerated tone. "We're not gonna brainwash him."

"The term brainwashing means 'the process of pressuring someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means.' That is the basis of what we're going to do if he doesn't believe in monsters. We're going to force it onto him," Castiel said to Dean, who was seated at the table. 

"Great," Dean said sarcastically. "We're just...we're just gonna have to risk it."

"We're traumatizing this guy and he didn't even do anything wrong," Sam said quietly. 

Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes before handing Sam a plate of waffles. 

"For our FBI agent," Dean said, Sam nodding. 

Sam rubbed his eyes before Dean handed him a beer. 

"Really? Beer? For breakfast?" Sam asked. 

"Fine then," Dean said, handing Sam a bottle of water. "Have him be basic and have water." 

Sam smiled slightly before putting the bottle of water in his back pocket. He walked out of the kitchen and went over to the room before unlocking the door. Sam sighed before opening it, seeing Reid against the farthest wall and looking at him anxiously. 

"I brought breakfast," Sam said with a smile before putting the plate and water bottle on the table next to the door. "How are you doing?"

"I..." Reid said, not sure how to answer that and not wanting to cause an angry reaction if he said the truth. 

"It's okay. You don't have to answer," Sam said before leaving. 

Reid listened as the door locked. He rubbed his watering eyes and tried to stay as quiet as he could. 

"Think about something else," Reid said to himself, his eyes watering extremely. "Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't think about the insane serial killers kidnapping you. Think about...think about Star Trek or something."

Reid grabbed one of the waffles hesitantly and smelled it, not smelling anything strange like cyanid or a sedative. He hesitantly took a bite and waited for something to happen but it never did. 

"At least they're not starving me...or poisoning me...I hope," Reid said to himself before he hesitantly continued eating.


	5. Lots of files

Wednesday afternoon 

"Okay. Okay. Okay," Derek said, rubbing his eyes as they all sat in the conference room. "This makes absolutely no sense. How are these guys even alive? They die...a lot."

"They fake their deaths a lot," Rossi corrected. "Hell, there's still a tombstone in St. Louis marked 'Dean Winchester'. I'm tempted to dig it up myself." 

"They seem like they're vigilantes though," Emily said, lifting her head up from the table covered in files. "Any deaths, minus all the ones on the news, they seem to happen before the Winchesters get to town. And then they stop soon after."

"So why would vigilantes take Reid?" Garcia asked hesitantly. 

"Maybe they believe he's a monster," Hotch said, everyone freezing. "The confession tape from Baltimore, on it Dean said that an evil spirit killed those people. Maybe their psychosis is that strong that they believe anyone they kill are monsters."

"That would explain why they kill people," Rossi said. "And the vigilante act. They think people who kill others are monsters and kill them."

"They're not wrong," Emily said to herself. 

"They're protectors," Rossi said. "They're protecting people." 

"Sam and Dean's mother died in a fire. Their father has arrest warrants out for himself too, for some of the same, well similar, stuff as Sam and Dean. Maybe their father thinks a monster killed their mother. It could be combined with PTSD from being a marine," JJ said. 

"So how do we get Reid back?" Derek asked. 

"We don't," Hotch said, everyone frozen. 

"Hotch!" Derek said loudly. 

"Let me finish," Hotch said. "I'm saying that...Sam and Dean believe he is a monster and they kill monsters. Reid...there is almost a 100% chance he's dead already."

"I can't believe this," Derek said, scoffing. "We can't just give up!"

"We're not giving up," Hotch said before turning to Garcia. "Garcia, can you find Sam and Dean with facial recognition? Or Reid for that matter."

"I can try," Garcia said. "I think I can create an algorithm that'll be looking for their faces and it can be connected to most, if not all security cameras. When a camera picks them up, I'll know."

"Great," Hotch said. "Until then...we can try to find Sam and Dean but...I'm not hopeful, not in the slightest."

"Come on," Derek said. 

"They're killers who have been dead for years, Morgan," Hotch said before sighing. "They know how to lay low. They know how to stay off the grid. They know how to...be ghosts. If they want to hide, they're gonna hide. And we're not gonna find them." 

"This is ridiculous," Derek said before leaving the room. 

"Are you really not hopeful that Reid is alive?" Emily asked. 

"No," Hotch said. "I hope I'm wrong though."


	6. An anxious profiler

Wednesday afternoon 

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay," Reid said to himself as he paced around the bedroom he was locked in. 

Reid ran his hand through his hair with a shaky hand before rubbing his eyes. 

"Okay. So. Sam and Dean Winchester. I've read their files," Reid said. "It become a hobby that I'd look look at occasionally...and get made fun of by Derek for it."

Reid froze when he heard the sound of rock music playing quietly from down the hall. 

"Okay. Right. Sam and Dean Winchester. Raised by their father John after their mother died in a fire. I thought that John killed their mother and then raised the boys to become almost soldiers. I could be wrong though."

Reid flinched when he heard the door open and grabbed the beer bottle to use as a weapon. 

"You're wrong, Spencer," Sam said, leaning against the doorframe. 

"W-What?" Reid asked. 

"You're wrong, I was listening. Dad didn't kill mom," Sam said, Reid frozen when he realized Sam heard him. 

Sam noticed Reid's anxiousness. Reid remained frozen, not sure what Sam would do to him. 

"Listen," Sam said before closing the door behind him, Reid even more anxious at the fact that he was now locked in the room with Sam. "My dad didn't kill my mom. My mom was killed by a demon."

"Huh?" Reid asked. 

"Demons exists. Monsters exist. Vampires. Werewolves. Ghosts. Whatever's in a horror movie exists," Sam said. "Even the Loch Ness monster."

"Monsters don't exist," Reid said quietly. 

"Yeah, they do," Sam said before rubbing his eyes. "Listen, you're not gonna believe me and that's...you need to believe us."

"Why?" Reid asked, his eyes watering. 

"Because...you're not leaving until you do," Sam said, Reid freezing. "Look, you need to believe us that monsters, actual monsters and not just human monsters but actual monsters, they exist." 

"Fine. I believe you," Reid said anxiously, just wanting to leave. 

"You don't though," Sam said sadly. "I...We can show you."

"What?" Reid asked. 

"We can show you that monsters exist," Sam said. "But you're gonna need something to stay safe."

"I don't understand," Reid said before Sam moved his shirt, Reid flinching. 

"Look," Sam said, showing the tattoo. "This will keep you safe. It stops demons from possessing you."

"I...I don't want a tattoo though," Reid said before hearing the door open again. 

"Too bad," Dean said. "This will keep you safe and you're getting it whether you like it or not."

Reid anxiously stood there, his eyes watering. 

"Can you fight?" Dean asked. 

"Fight?" Reid asked. 

"Yes. Fight. Like if Sam were to fight you, would you be able to defend yourself?"

Reid shook his head anxiously, his eyes watering extremely now. 

"I can teach you," Sam said with a smile. 

"Why are you doing this?" Reid asked. 

"You're going to turn us in if you're just let go, so if you see our view of things and why we kill people, you won't," Dean explained. 

"But I won't. I'll just pretend this didn't happen" Reid said anxiously. 

"He's lying," Castiel said from the doorway, Reid's heart dropping. 

"After lunch, we'll get started," Dean said before dragging Cas out of the room. 

"Relax, it'll be okay," Sam said with a smile, Reid shaking. "Just...be open minded."


	7. A surprise a few months later

Friday evening - a few months later

"Derek?" JJ asked as she walked over to Derek, who was sitting in his chair and staring at the phone. 

"Yeah?" Derek asked, rubbing his eyes and looking at them. 

"We're leaving. Do you wanna come? We're gonna head to a bar, sort of a ladies night. But we can make an exception for you," Emily said with a smile. "You can maybe pick up a chick." 

"No. No. I wanna stay here," Derek said, rubbing his eyes. 

"In case you get the call?" JJ asked sadly, Derek nodding. 

"I hate to say this but we might not ever get the call," Emily said sadly. 

Derek froze, JJ and Emily noticing. 

"Morgan?" Emily asked, snapping her fingers in Derek's face. 

"Reid?" Derek asked, seeing Reid standing there in the doorway. 

"What?" Emily asked, quickly turning around. 

"Oh my god," JJ said before they immediately ran over to him. 

"Hotch!" Derek yelled to Hotch, who was in his office. 

Derek ran over to Reid, who was still standing there awkwardly. 

"Hey. Hey. Are you okay?" Derek asked. 

"Reid?" JJ asked, Reid still frozen. 

"Huh?" Reid asked, looking at them tiredly and still a little bit dazed and out of it. 

"Reid?" Hotch asked as he came over. "How?" 

"What the hell, man?" Derek asked. "How did you...How did you get out? How are you even alive? We thought you were dead." 

"They...They let me go," Reid said, looking at Derek tiredly. 

"They what?" Hotch asked. "Reid, are you sure?"

"Yes," Reid said, staring at the floor. 

"How did you even get in the building?" JJ asked. 

"I..." Reid trailed off. 

——

"They didn't just let him go," JJ said, her eyes watering while they all sat in the hospital waiting room. "Right?"

"They wouldn't have," Hotch said. "Especially if they thought he was a monster." 

"Are you here for Spencer Reid?" The doctor asked as he came over. 

"Yes," Derek said as they all stood up. 

"How is he?" Emily asked. 

"He seems fine physically," the doctor said, everyone sighing in relief slightly. "Besides the irritation around his tattoo but that's normal for when you get a new tattoo." 

"Tattoo?" Derek asked. 

"Yes," the doctor said. 

"That doesn't make any sense," Emily said. "He doesn't have a tattoo. Right?" 

"He does now," the doctor said. 

"How is he psychologically?" Hotch asked, still processing the tattoo. 

"He's quiet but he seems to be doing okay," the doctor said. "I'd keep an eye on him after he leaves."

"Leaves?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "We can keep him here overnight to keep an eye on him but there's nothing for us to treat. He's fine." 

"He was kidnapped by serial killers for months," Derek said with a glare. "He can't be fine."


	8. Okay so it’s a year later

Wednesday afternoon- a year later

"Morgan. A word if you don't mind," Hotch said to Derek, who nodded and followed him into his office. 

"Hey, Hotch. What's up?" Derek asked as Hotch took a seat behind his desk. 

"Close the door," Hotch said. 

Derek sighed and closed the door behind him, knowing something was going on. 

"You know, Reid's coming back to work in a few days," Hotch said. 

"Yeah," Derek said, rubbing his eyes. "I know. I've been keeping track." 

"Have you read Reid's report yet?" Hotch asked calmly. "From when he was kidnapped by Sam and Dean." 

"No. I didn't think I would be able too. I thought only you would, and maybe a few higher ups," Derek said. 

"I want you to read it," Hotch said, handing him the file. 

"It's a bit thin," Derek said after he grabbed it and felt the weight before opening it. "Wow. Okay. Really thin. Barely a page."

"Yeah. And read the page," Hotch said. 

"Hotch, what's this about?" Derek asked, giving him a weird look. 

"Just read it," Hotch said. "If you don't want to, it's alright. I completely understand." 

Derek nodded before reading the page, it barely taking him any time to get through it. Derek froze and looked at Hotch, who nodded and rubbed his eyes. 

"He said they just left him alone," Derek said with a confused tone. "That doesn't make any sense at all." 

"Yeah. You're correct. It doesn't make any sense," Hotch said, rubbing his eyes. "I asked Reid about food and water and essentials and he said everything was provided."

"Interesting that they kept him fed. I'm surprised that they didn't starve him," Derek said, sitting down in the chair across from Hotch. 

"I thought the same thing too," Hotch said. "I also asked about the tattoo."

"The one the Winchesters made him get? I was wondering about that too," Derek said, scoffing. 

"He showed me," Hotch said, Derek freezing. "I drew a picture after he left because Reid didn't want anyone to take any pictures of it." 

"What the hell is this? A sun with flames and...a pentagram?" Derek asked as he looked at the piece of paper. 

"That would be my best guess," Hotch said, rubbing his eyes. 

"What the hell did these guys do to him, Hotch?" Derek asked with a confused tone. 

"I don't know. But I'm determined to find out," Hotch said. "Are you going to dinner tonight at his apartment?" 

"Yeah. Even if something came up, I would still make it."

"How has he been these last...the last year?" Hotch asked. 

"He's quiet," Derek said. "I haven't talked to him in a while though. When he called everyone about dinner, I immediately said yes. He's just been...pushing everyone away I guess."

"We all made a deal to not profile each other but I'm going to keep an eye on him tonight," Hotch said. 

"Yeah. Me too," Derek said, rubbing his eyes.


	9. Dinners

Wednesday evening 

"You ready for this?" Derek asked Hotch, who nodded before knocking on the door. 

"Hey," Reid said with a smile after opening the door. 

"Hey," Derek said. 

"Come on in," Reid said with a smile before moving out of the way. 

Derek and Hotch walked in, seeing the apartment perfectly clean. 

"Not a depression room, a good sign," Hotch said quietly, Derek nodding. 

"Okay so I ordered pizza. I hope you don't mind having that tonight. I don't really like cooking," Reid said. "And Rossi said he would be a little late which is fine. And JJ and Emily are on their way. And Garcia said she needed to pick up something before she came over. So it's just us right now."

"Cool," Derek said. "Um...Reid?"

"Yeah?" Reid asked. 

"How are you...doing?" Derek asked hesitantly. 

"I'll get that," Reid said after hearing a knock at the door. 

"So no depression room and he smiling. He could be putting on an act," Hotch whispered to Derek, who nodded. 

"Or maybe he's moved on," Derek said. "The kids been through trauma before and moved on."

"He wasn't kidnapped by two of the FBI's most wanted then," Hotch whispered. 

"Hey, Reid," Emily said as she came in. 

"Hi. I ordered pizza. I hope you don't mind," Reid said. 

"I will never complain about getting pizza," Emily said with a smile. "What time did you order it?"

"I ordered it a while ago so anytime now," Reid said. 

"No exact time, this isn't good," Derek said to Hotch quietly, who rubbed his eyes. 

"What time did you order the pizza?" Hotch asked. 

"Pizzas," Reid corrected. "I ordered four. And I don't know. I wasn't paying attention to the time."

"Four pizzas? Wow," Emily said. "I can have one and you all can share three."

"Emily at it again," JJ said with a smile before seeing an empty shelf. "Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"I remember books being there," JJ said. 

"Oh. Yeah," Reid said quietly. 

"What happened?" JJ asked with a smile. "Spring cleaning?"

"No," Reid said with a smile before losing it. "I'm just...I'm...I'm not into...Mythology anymore."

"He loved mythology," Hotch said to Derek quietly. "Maybe the Winchesters believing in monsters made him...hate it."

"Or maybe he's scared now," Derek whispered. 

"Woah. Think you have enough salt?" JJ asked as she looked at the bag of salt by the bookshelf. 

"No," Reid said. 

"It...It was a joke, Spence," JJ said. 

"Oh," Reid said awkwardly. 

"Why do you have a bag of salt?" JJ asked. 

"It's keeps demons away," Reid said, Derek and Hotch rubbing their eyes. 

"Not good," Derek said.


	10. Demons?

Wednesday evening 

"Demons?" JJ asked, everyone staring at Reid. 

"What?" Reid asked. 

"You said demons," Emily said. "You said the salt is to keep demons away."

"Hypothetically," Reid said. "Demons...Demons are seen as evil and...salt purifies so salt protects us from demons. But demons aren't real so."

Reid quickly grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped the top off before chugging it. Everyone discretely gave each other looks before looking back at Reid. 

"Spence?" JJ said. 

"What?" Reid asked. 

"When...Since when do you drink?" JJ asked.

Reid stopped and looked at the beer bottle in his hand before putting it on the counter. 

"You don't drink, Pretty Boy," Derek said with a concerned tone. "Even when we go out for drinks you just have water."

"I..." Reid said, staring at the bottle before hearing a knock at the door. "I'll get it."

Reid quickly got to the door, seeing Garcia standing there with Rossi. 

"Come in," Reid said. 

"How are you?" Garcia asked. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Sure," Reid said before Garcia tightly hugged him. "Garcia. I kind of need to breathe."

"Sorry," Garcia said as she let go, Reid coughing. "Sorry. I like the flannel by the way. It's nice on you."

"Thanks," Reid said quietly, looking at the flannel he was wearing over a t-shirt, it being unbuttoned. 

"Did we walk into something?" Rossi asked awkwardly. 

"Reid...when did this start?" Hotch asked. 

"When did what start?" Garcia asked. 

"Reid drinking," Derek said sadly. 

"What?" Garcia asked with a concerned tone. "You don't drink."

"It started over a year ago," Reid said quietly. 

"That...That doesn't make any sense because...that's when you were..." JJ said, frozen. 

"Yeah," Reid said quietly as he stared at the floor. "It's when I was with...them..."

"You haven't talked about it," Hotch said. 

"What do you wanna know?" Reid asked hesitantly, holding onto his flannel sleeve. "Nothing happened." 

"Are you really okay?" Derek asked. 

"I don't know," Reid said, his voice breaking slightly. 

"What happened?" JJ asked, her eyes watering slightly. "What did they..." 

"What did they do to you, Reid?" Derek asked. 

"Not much," Reid said quietly, staring at the floor. 

Reid looked up at everyone and seeing them all staring at him. 

"I'm gonna...I'm gonna go get some fresh air. It helps relax and calm the nervous system," Reid said before quickly leaving, going out the window onto the fire escape. 

Reid went onto the stairs and sat down before pulling headphones out of his pocket. He scrolled through his phone before clicking on one of the alums. 

"Just breathe," Reid said anxiously, his eyes watering as his whole environment became enveloped by the sound of AC/DC playing through his headphones. 

Reid leaned back on the stairs and sighed, playing with his sleeves anxiously. 

"I'm okay," Reid said to himself. "I'm okay. There are no monsters or demons or anything here."


	11. Back to work

Monday morning 

"I'm fine," Reid said as he walked out of the elevator. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Garcia asked with a concerned tone. "No one would fault you or judge you or anything if you took some more time off."

"It's been a year, Garcia. I need...I need this," Reid said, looking at her tiredly. "I don't like staying in my apartment all the time. I've read every book so many times. I need...I need a case."

"Okay," Garcia said. "If you wanna talk or something, let me know. My door is always open, except when it's closed. But then knock and I'll open it for you."

Reid smiled at Garcia and went over to his desk, smiling because no one had moved anything on it. 

"Hey," Emily said as she walked over. 

"Hi," Reid said. 

"We made sure no one even breathed near your desk," Emily said with a smile. 

"I appreciate that," Reid said with a smile. 

"Hey, Reid. Glad you're back," JJ said with a smile as she walked past before walking away into Hotch's office. "Did you see it?"

"Yes," Hotch said as he got up. 

"Some luck, the first case we're working since Reid is back is a kidnapping," JJ said, rubbing her eyes. 

"He'll be ready. And if not...I'm not going to hold it against him," Hotch said as they walked out of his office. "BAU team. Conference room."

"I just hope he's okay," JJ said as she walked into the conference room, everyone following and taking a seat. 

"Listen up everyone," Hotch said as he stood next to JJ in the front of the room. "There's a kidnapping in Pennsylvania. The victims who were already taken were found dead, and another one went missing an hour ago. Her name is Kate Kane. She's twelve." 

"How long are they kept for?" Reid asked. 

"Less than a day," Hotch said. "Wheels up in thirty."

——

"Kate Kane. Age twelve," Rossi said. "How was she taken?"

"She was walking to a friend's house and never arrived," Hotch said. "She's the third victim so far. The other two were a boy and a girl, each siblings. Cory, eleven, and his sister, Tyler, thirteen. They were taken on their way to school and were found a day later dumped in the woods."

"Please tell me there was no evidence of sexual assault," Emily said. 

"There was no evidence of that," Hotch said. "The victims are...stabbed in the stomach."

"Why kids?" Derek asked. 

"Kids are easier to take I would assume," Reid said, getting looks. "They're smaller, not as strong as an adult."

"Any kid would scream," JJ said. "Trust me."

"JJ's right," Hotch said. "Children have a...very high pitched scream. Someone would have noticed."

"Unless they knew their kidnapper," Rossi said. "Or had their mouth covered." 

"I'm trying to find a link between the families," Garcia said from the laptop. "But I can't find anything."

"Keep looking," Hotch said. "Because if this unsub really is taking children at random..."

"We'll find this guy," Derek said.


	12. Sam the witch

Monday afternoon 

"Come on," Dean whined. "Please."

"No," Castiel said with a glare. 

"Please," Dean pleaded. 

"No," Castiel said. 

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he walked into the library. 

"Cas won't watch Star Wars with me," Dean said. 

"Why not?" Sam asked with a laugh as he went over to the bookshelves. 

"Because I've seen it thirty six times already with Dean," Castiel said, glaring at Dean. 

"Seriously? That many?" Sam asked, Castiel nodding. "Wow."

"I'm just bored, okay?" Dean said. "I need attention."

"Entertain yourself," Castiel said with a glare. "You're giving me a headache. And I'm an angel so that says quite a lot."

"Sammy? Wanna do something?" Dean asked. 

"Nope. Busy," Sam said as he skimmed through the shelves to look for a book. 

"With what?" Dean asked. 

"Witchcraft," Sam said, Dean glaring. "What? Don't look at me like that. It's a hobby of mine."

"Hobby? You gonna start killing people as a hobby too?" Dean asked with a glare. 

"Would you relax? You're so paranoid," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not gonna get corrupted or anything, promise."

"Witches, man," Dean said, rolling his eyes. 

Sam grabbed the book he needed and skimmed through it to verify it was the book he was looking for. Sam smiled before closing the book but keeping it bookmarked with his finger. 

"For your information, witchcraft isn't evil. It's the witch who makes it appear that way," Sam said before leaving, Dean glaring. 

Sam made his way into his room and closed the door behind him. He went to walk over to the bed but froze and locked the door. 

"Alright," Sam said to himself as he sat on the bed and opened the book again. "Alright. Just breathe. Relax. Clear mind. Don't screw up. Don't think about screwing up. I gotta stop talking to myself...starting now."

Sam rubbed his eyes before closing them. He took a deep breath in and breathed out before opening his eyes again, seeing he was in a completely different room. 

"This guy is obviously getting off on the pain he's causing," Emily said. 

Sam smiled when he saw Reid sitting in the chair and spinning around as he tried to think. 

"How is he taking them? Once we find that out, it'll help us a lot with catching this guy," Derek said. 

"We found no connection between the victims' families so maybe it's someone the children trust. A cop maybe. Or a firefighter. Mailman. Someone in a uniform probably," Rossi said. 

"What about something children like?" Sam said to himself as he continued watching. 

"What about something children like?" Reid asked, getting looks. 

"What?" Hotch asked. 

"I don't know. It just...it popped into my head," Reid said, stopping spinning and rubbing his eyes. 

"It makes sense though," Derek said. "Just like the idea of candy from a van."

"Ice cream," Reid said, sitting up in the chair. 

"I want ice cream," Emily said. 

"No. No. I saw an ice cream truck on the way into town," Reid said. 

"So?" JJ asked. 

"It's fall. It's cold," Reid said, Derek grabbing his phone.

"Garcia, get me ice cream trucks in this area," Derek said into the phone. 

Sam smiled before closing his eyes and opening them again, still seeing he was in the room with the BAU. 

"What the?" Sam asked before trying to end the spell, it not working. "Oh crap. This isn't good."


	13. Heart to heart talks

Monday afternoon 

"At least they can't see me," Sam said to himself before walking over near Reid and leaning against the wall. 

"Okay. I got something. Ice cream trucks registered to...these guys," Garcia said before the tablet Hotch was holding beeped. 

"That's not that long of a list," Hotch said. "Can we narrow it down any farther?"

"Okay. This guy has a record for...assault," Garcia said awkwardly. "How can he own an ice cream truck then? That's so disturbing."

"Can you get an address?" Rossi asked. 

"Sent it to you just now," Garcia said. 

"Great. Let's go," Hotch said. 

"I'm gonna stay here and work the profile a little more. Something doesn't seem right," Reid said. 

"I'll stay with him," Derek said. 

"All right. Let's go," Hotch said before everyone else left the room. 

Derek sighed and got up from the chair. He made his way to the door and closed it before looking at Reid. 

"Alright. Spill," Derek said as he walked over. 

"Spill what?" Reid asked with a confused tone. 

"Why'd you stay?" Derek asked, sitting in the chair across from Reid. 

Reid sighed and rubbed his eyes before looking at Derek tiredly. 

"This case...it's hitting me a little hard I guess," Reid said quietly. 

"Because it's kidnappings?" Derek asked. 

"Yeah," Reid said. 

Sam rubbed his eyes and looked at Reid sadly. 

"Listen, you can't bury this. But you can move on," Derek said. "You can get rid of your trauma but you can move on from it and learn from it."

"I have something to tell you," Reid said, his eyes watering. 

"What?" Derek asked. 

"I've been...stealing," Reid said, Derek frozen. "A few picked pockets here and there, nothing too much. I returned it afterwards because...I just...I don't know."

"Those Winchesters really messed you up, huh, Pretty Boy?" Derek asked. 

"Yeah," Reid said quietly. "And...it's so bad."

"What's so bad?" Derek asked. 

"I threw it off as Stockholm Syndrome because he's a serial killer," Reid said. 

Sam froze and stared at Reid. 

"You care about one of them, don't you?" Derek asked. 

Reid nodded, his eyes watering extremely. Reid rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, freezing when he saw he was wearing a flannel. 

"I'm sorry, Reid," Sam said sadly. 

"Whenever Dean used to...used to say something to scare me or something...Sam would always yell at him. He was so nice to me," Reid said, his eyes watering. "But he's a serial killer. It's Stockholm Syndrome, Morgan. It's-"

"Reid, it's okay," Derek said. "He put on a good look and you fell for it. It's not the first time that's happened to someone. Disguises do that to people." 

"Disguise," Reid said, his eyes wide. 

"Huh?" Derek asked as Reid grabbed the tablet. 

"The best killers don't look like serial killers," Reid said as he skimmed through the tablet in front of him. "Him. He has no record and lives...he lives in the center of the map where all the abductions took place. And he has a basement...and a garage."

"How did you do that?" Derek asked. "Did Garcia teach you a few things?" 

"Sam actually," Reid said hesitantly. 

"At least some good came out of that. Let's go," Derek said. 

"I wanna come," Sam said awkwardly as they got up and left. "Oh, right, they can't hear me...and I'm wanted by the FBI...and kidnapped him. I'm just gonna stop talking now and follow them."


	14. Unsubs and ice cream trucks

Monday afternoon 

"Casey River?" Derek asked after the guy opened the door. 

"Yes. How can I help you?" Casey asked before Derek and Reid flashed their FBI badges. "Oh. FBI. How can I help you?"

"We're investigating the recent...um..." Reid started. 

"We're investigating the recent kidnappings," Derek finished for Reid. 

"The ones on the news?" Casey asked. 

"Yeah," Derek said. "Mind if we come inside and look around?"

"Sure. I don't care. Anything to help," Casey said as he moved out of the way to let them inside. 

"Don't mind me, just walking inside," Sam said awkwardly as he quickly went inside the house before the door got closed. 

"How long have you lived here?" Reid asked. 

"Um...ten or...or eleven years. I can't really remember," Casey said. 

"You call yourselves FBI? Ask to check the basement!" Sam yelled, waving his arms to try and get their attention. 

"Can we check out the basement?" Reid asked.

"Um...sure," Casey said hesitantly. "Right this way." 

Casey led them into the garage and opened a door to the basement. 

"You own an ice cream truck?" Derek asked, seeing the ice cream truck parked in the two car garage. 

"Yeah," Casey said. 

"How'd you come by that?" Reid asked. 

"I lost a bet with a friend," Casey admitted. 

"And you had to buy an ice cream truck?" Derek asked. 

"What can I say? I have some dumbass friends," Casey said. 

"I have a dumbass brother," Sam said to himself. 

"I'll check out the basement," Derek said. "Reid, mind checking that out?"

"Sure," Reid said, knowing Derek only made him stay upstairs because he didn't want him down there with a potential serial killer. 

"Isn't this interesting?" Sam asked as he looked around the ice cream truck. "I'm basically a ghost and I'm talking to the guy who I kidnapped a year ago...and he doesn't even know I'm talking to him. Fun times."

Sam rubbed his eyes before looking at Reid. 

"It's Stockholm Syndrome," Reid said to himself, his eyes watering. "I don't really care about Sam. I don't. He was nice to me and that's all. He kidnapped me. He's a serial killer. He's a bad person."

Sam flinched when he heard Reid say 'bad person'. 

"I save the world," Sam said, staring at Reid. "I...I save the world. I've saved it multiple times. I help people." 

"He helps people," Reid said, immediately hitting himself in the shoulder. "Why would I say that? No. No. Him and his brother kidnapped me and brainwashed me, Cas too. I believe monsters exist now. That's...it's not real."

Sam rubbed his eyes before hearing slight footsteps heading up the stairs and looked before freezing. 

"Reid!" Sam yelled. 

Reid turned around, gun in hand and saw Derek with a knife to his throat. 

"Ooh. Nice reflexes," Casey said with a smirk. "We were quiet coming up the stairs too. I'm impressed." 

"Guess we found the unsub," Derek said sarcastically. 

"Unless you can shoot pretty damn accurate, put down the gun," Casey said. 

"Derek. Don't move," Reid said, still pointing the gun at the unsub before taking the shot. 

Derek quickly moved away from the unsub after he became dead weight, him falling back down the stairs. 

"Kate's downstairs," Derek said before then ran down the stairs.


	15. Jets

Monday night 

"I'm telling you, Hotch," Derek said quietly to Hotch on the jet. "Reid killed the unsub. This guy had a knife to my neck and Reid took the shot from across the garage. There had to be a ten foot difference and there was probably four inches of his face showing." 

"Not even I could have made that shot," Hotch said, sitting across from him while everyone else was asleep. 

"That's my point. And...he's always barely passed his gun qualifications, and now he's a perfect shot," Derek said, rubbing his eyes. "It doesn't make sense."

"Hey," Reid said tiredly, sitting down next to Derek. 

"You look exhausted," Derek said. 

"Get some sleep, Reid," Hotch said. 

"No, Cas," Reid said with an exhausted tone, his eyes barely staying open. "I don't need sleep."

Sam froze from the seat next to Hotch and stared at Reid after hearing that. 

"Cas?" Hotch asked Derek quietly, who shrugged. 

"Reid," Derek said, nudging him awake. 

"Huh?" Reid asked, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry. I'm just tired."

"It's quite alright," Hotch said. "Reid?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's Cas?" Hotch asked, Reid's heart dropping and him waking him. 

"N-No one," Reid said quickly. 

"Reid," Derek said. 

Reid sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

"He was...he's a friend of the Winchesters," Reid said hesitantly. 

"Did he hurt you?" Hotch asked. 

"No," Reid said. "I..."

"You what?" Hotch asked. 

"I didn't get hurt," Reid said quietly. 

"Then what happened if you weren't being tortured for months?" Derek asked. 

"They..." Reid trailed off. 

"It's okay, Reid," Hotch said, being able to tell that was as much information they were getting out of Reid for the night about the Winchesters. "It's okay."

"How did you shoot the unsub that good?" Derek asked. 

"I couldn't have taken that shot," Hotch said with a smile. 

"You got a tutor or something?" Derek asked with a laugh. "Or have you been holding out on us all these years?" 

"Sam taught me," Reid said, staring at the table and Hotch and Derek frozen. 

"Sam...taught you how to shoot?" Derek asked with a weird expression. 

"Why would he do that?" Hotch asked. 

"So I would be safe from monsters," Reid said quietly, staring at the floor. "He also taught me how to fight too."

"Monsters like..." Hotch started. 

"Demons. Ghosts. Vampires. Monsters," Reid said blankly, looking at Hotch tiredly as his exhaustion started to return. 

"Monsters don't exist," Hotch said. 

"I know," Reid said. "That doesn't mean they didn't try to brainwash me into believing it. And...I think part of it worked." 

Sam rubbed his eyes and looked at Reid again. 

"When can this nightmare end?" Sam asked himself.


	16. Witchcraft = bad

Monday night 

"Dean? Is everything alright?" Castiel asked with a concerned tone as he looked at Dean staring at the wall. 

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm good. I'm good. I'm just...thinking," Dean said. 

"About what?" Castiel asked as he walked over, grabbing Dean's hand. 

"Sammy," Dean said sadly. "I...I don't want him to get hurt."

"Why would he?" Castiel asked. 

"He's practicing witchcraft," Dean said blankly. 

"So? He's responsible," Castiel said. 

"I just don't want him getting hurt," Dean said quietly before chugging the beer in his hand. "The kid's been through enough in his life."

"Sam will always have you looking out for him," Castiel said. "But there are times that you need to step back and let him do his own thing. You can still be there for him but you'll be...keeping a distance while still keeping an eye on him."

"Thanks, Cas," Dean said before getting up. 

"Where are you going?" Castiel asked Dean as he put the beer bottle down on the table. 

"I'm gonna go check on him. He's been in his room for hours," Dean said. 

Castiel nodded before Dean left the room. He walked down the hallway and made his way to Sam's room before knocking. 

"Sammy? Hey. It's me," Dean said. "Listen, man. I'm sorry about before. I just...I don't want you getting hurt. I'll still keep an eye on you but I'll give you your space, even if you are doing witchcraft."

Dean waited for a reply but didn't get one. 

"Sammy?" Dean asked as he tried to open the door but found it locked. "Sammy? Knock twice if you're conscious."

Dean listened for knocking but didn't hear it. Dean stepped away from the door before kicking it in and heading into the room. 

"Sammy!" Dean yelled, seeing Sam unconscious on the bed. "Cas! Come on, Sammy. Wake up. Come on. Wake up. Wake up, Damnit."

Castiel walked into the room and saw Sam before he quickly headed over to heal him. Sam woke up coughing, Dean immediately sighing in relief. 

"Cas?" Sam asked, coughing again. 

"I told you, witchcraft bad!" Dean yelled before grabbing the pillow and hitting Sam. 

"Dude!" Sam yelled before Cas pulled Dean away from him. 

"What the hell happened?!" Dean yelled, struggling against Cas' grip. 

"The spell backfired," Sam said, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks for waking me up."

"Of course," Castiel said. 

"What spell?" Dean asked with a glare. 

"One to astral project," Sam said. 

——

"Yeah, I'll be home in a few minutes," JJ said with a smile as she continued driving the car. 

"Take your time. No rush," the sitter said. "Henry fell asleep hours ago so be quiet when you come into the house."

"I'll try my hardest," JJ said with a smile. "I'll see you in a few."

"See you," the babysitter said before hanging up. 

JJ smiled before making her way to her house. She parked the car and got out before seeing someone standing across the street. 

"Can I help you?" JJ asked as she walked over. 

The guy remained silent, JJ getting an uneasy feeling. She looked at his face and saw tattoos covering it. 

"FBI. What are you doing here?" JJ asked, showing her badge. 

"Looking for someone," he said before knocking JJ to the ground, JJ going to reach for her gun but the guy's eyes glowing blue before knocking her out.


	17. Concerned brothers

Monday night 

"Sammy? Are you okay?" Dean asked with a concerned tone, seeing Sam tiredly lying on the bed. 

"Yeah," Sam said, yawning. "I'm really tired, that's all."

"What happened?" Castiel asked. 

"I astral projected but it...it worked too well," Sam said, half laughing. "It worked but...I got...stuck there."

"Where did you go?" Castiel asked. 

"Screw that. What the hell does astral project mean?" Dean asked. 

"It's when you leave your body and travel the astral plane," Castiel explained. 

"You...You've astral projected before, Dean," Sam said awkwardly. 

"When?" Dean asked. 

"Pamela," Sam said. "It was years ago. We astral projected together. That's when she died."

"Oh right," Dean said, rubbing his eyes. "I forgot we did that."

"I remember Pamela. I warned her to not look at my true form," Castiel said. 

"And you blinded her," Dean said with a glare. 

"It was an accident," Castiel said. 

"I know, Cas," Dean said, rubbing his eyes and grabbing Cas' hand. "I know."

"I'm fine, guys. Really. I just got stuck. It was a different spell than Pamela's anyway."

"How many astral projection spells are there?" Dean asked. 

"A few. But this one was my own making," Sam said, instantly regretting saying that. 

"Oh, you're not only practicing witchcraft but you're making spells?" Dean said with a glare, Cas squeezing his hand tight enough to get Dean's attention. "Ow! Cas, man. Easy. I get it, you have super strength."

"How did you get me back here though?" Sam asked as he rubbed his eyes. "That's what I'm wondering."

"I healed you," Castiel said. "That alone brought you back to your body."

"Where'd you go?" Dean asked. 

"I saw Reid," Sam mumbled. 

"Sam! Come on," Dean complained. "Are you kidding me?" 

"Dean, don't," Sam said. 

"You care about him so much, man. I don't see it. Why?" Dean asked. "You've been keeping an eye on him for like...ever since we let him go. Why?"

"Because he's like me, Dean. I used to be him. I used to be scared and...and everything he is," Sam said. "I just wanna keep an eye on him." 

——

"You doing okay?" Derek asked over the phone. 

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm really tired," Reid said, rubbing his eyes before yawning. 

"Get some sleep then. You can't stay up all night reading because we got work tomorrow, Pretty Boy," Derek said with a laugh, Reid smiling. 

"Trust me, I'll try." 

Reid got startled by his phone ringing, him being confused as he looked at the caller ID. 

"Garcia is calling me," Reid said weirdly. 

"Me too," Derek said. 

Reid and Derek both hung up before answering the phone. 

"What's going on, Baby Girl?" Derek asked. 

"You're patched in with everyone," Garcia said. 

"JJ's missing," Emily said anxiously. 

"What?" Derek asked. 

"What happened?" Reid asked. 

"Henry's sitter called the emergency number, which is mine, because JJ's car is parked outside but there's no sign of her. Her keys and phone are on the ground too," Emily said. 

"We'll be right there," Hotch said.


	18. Monsters?

Tuesday morning 

"It's been all night and we have nothing," Emily said as she paced back and forth across the room. 

"I got camera footage from the neighbors' camera," Garcia said as she came into the conference room. "Their system is...what's the nicest way to put this? Terrible at best. I had to clean it up and even that took all night." 

"Did you get anything that can help?" Hotch asked. 

"Only this creepy guy covered in tattoos," Garcia said, the video showing up on the screen. "I tried running facial recognition but nothing came up."

"Great," Derek said sarcastically. 

Reid looked up at the screen and froze, staring at the guy. 

"Reid?" Hotch asked, noticing his expression changed. "Do you know him?"

"N-No," Reid said. 

"You sure about that?" Rossi asked. 

"Yeah," Reid said before quickly getting up and leaving the conference room. 

"I'll be right back," Hotch said before following Reid out of the room and into the hallway. "Reid."

"Yeah?" Reid asked, rubbing his eyes. 

"If you know something, say something," Hotch said quietly. 

"It looks like..." Reid said. 

"Like what?" Hotch asked. 

"Like a djinn," Reid said quietly. 

"What's a djinn?" Hotch asked. 

"They're cave dwelling monsters that have the power to produce powerful hallucinations inside the minds of humans," Reid said. 

"Okay," Hotch said, trying to keep a straight face at the fact that Reid was talking about monsters. "Why would they take JJ? How do we find it?" 

"Djinn feed on human blood so it was probably looking for food," Reid said before freezing. "Which means it's probably near by. They dwell in caves and..."

"And what?" Hotch asked. 

"Um...Sam mentioned a case he...he and...he worked on," Reid said quietly. "And it was a djinn. And it was using an abandoned warehouse as a cave."

"Okay," Hotch said. "Let's have Garcia see if there are any warehouses nearby. Or abandoned properties."

Reid and Hotch went back into the conference room, everyone discretely looking at Reid. 

"Garcia," Hotch said. "Can you see if there are any abandoned buildings or warehouses or structures near JJ's house?"

"Yeah. One minute," Garcia said before sitting down next to Derek. 

Derek looked at Hotch, who gave him a 'I'll tell you later' look. Derek nodded. 

"Got it. I have...two abandoned properties nearby within...less than a mile of her house." 

"Let's go," Hotch said. 

"Hotch-" Rossi said. 

"It won't hurt to look and check it out. A lead is a lead," Hotch said. "We'll split up. Reid and I will go to one. Derek, Rossi and Prentiss will go to the other."


	19. Endings?

Tuesday morning 

"Reid," Hotch said as he drove the SUV. 

"Yeah?" Reid asked from the passenger seat. 

"We need to talk about this," Hotch said. 

"About what?" Reid asked. 

"The Winchesters," Hotch said, Reid freezing. 

"W-What about them?" Reid asked anxiously. 

"They didn't torture you, Reid," Hotch said, Reid frozen. "I've been trying to figure out what happened for a while and I finally figured it out. They didn't torture you but...but they convinced you monsters exist, just like they believe."

"Okay," Reid said quietly. 

"Reid, they brainwashed you. They changed you. You used to really enjoy mythology and would often talk about it but when JJ mentioned it, you became anxious. They forced you to get a tattoo, Reid."

Reid looked at his shirt where the tattoo was and looked back at Hotch tiredly. 

"Derek mentioned you started picking pockets," Hotch said, Reid looking at him anxiously now. "And he mentioned you returned it every time. Your taste of music has changed to rock, Reid. I saw your phone. You can shoot now too after being taught by Sam, better than me. And you called me 'Cas' when you were sleep deprived."

"What's your point?" Reid asked. 

"I'm telling you that they brainwashed you," Hotch said. 

"So what?" Reid asked, rubbing his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Are you though?" Hotch asked. "We're looking for a monster right now, Reid, and not a human one according to you."

"I'm right about this, Hotch. The profile fits. I did it in my head. Djinn are cave dwellers and like darkness. They like places to hide. The profile works," Reid said. 

"Monsters don't exist," Hotch said before stopping the car. 

"We're here," Reid said as he got out of the car, grabbing his gun. 

Reid adjusted his vest as Hotch got out of the car. 

"I'm right about this," Reid said before going inside the warehouse, Hotch following. 

Reid immediately coughed from inhaling the dusty air, Hotch doing the same. 

"Did you hear that?" Hotch asked after hearing a low mumbling sound coming from another room. 

Hotch and Reid followed the sound before going into a bigger room, seeing someone slumped over in a chair with an IV. 

"JJ," Hotch said as they both ran over to her, Reid taking the IV out of her arm. "It looks like she didn't lose a lot of blood."

"You could be wrong because they feed on it," Reid said to Hotch. 

"We need an ambulance at 221 Baker Street. Now," Hotch said into the radio. 

Hotch heard another sound coming from a different part of the warehouse. Reid nodded and walked over to it while Hotch untied JJ from the chair. 

Reid made his way into the other room before getting startled by getting knocked on the floor. Reid went to shoot but froze when the djinn froze and collapsed on the floor next to him. 

Reid scrambled off the floor and looked at the person standing in front of him. 

"Hey, Reid," Sam said, pocketing the knife he was holding. "If you're gonna shoot me, don't."

"I have bigger things to worry about," Reid said, pushing past Sam and going back into the room with JJ. "Is she okay?"

"I think she's waking up," Hotch said, JJ waking up and looking around tiredly. 

"Emily?" JJ mumbled as she looked around. 

"No. It's Hotch and Reid. You're okay," Hotch said. 

Reid looked over at the doorway where Sam was and saw him leave. 

"The monsters dead," Reid said. 

"Reid, you did it," Hotch said with a smile. "You found her."


End file.
